Mexico Has Just Launched a Bra That Will Help Detect Breast Cancer

While still in its nascent stages, three young Mexican entrepreneurs have invented a bra they believe will detect breast cancer. The Eva Bra, developed by the company Higia Technologies won $20,000 from the Global Student Entrepreneur Awards last week for developing what might be an incredible tool for women in the future.

Julian Rios Cantu, an 18-year-old Mexican student, came up with the idea for the Eva Bra when his mother was diagnosed with breast cancer for the second time. As the cancer progressed rapidly she was in danger of losing her life but instead had to have a double mastectomy. Julian’s mother survived and treatment is often successful, but many women don’t. In fact, according to the World Health Organization, 570,000 women died of breast cancer in 2015, 15% of all cancer deaths in women worldwide.

The Eva Bra would use built-in sensors to measure skin temperature in different quadrants of the breast. The concept is based on the idea that tumors may change skin temperatures because of changes in blood flow. The bra would need to be worn for 60 to 90 minutes per week in order to properly detect any changes.

While doctors warn against seeing this invention is a surefire way to detect cancer, the world is abuzz with the possibility of a simpler way for women to detect changes in their breasts and perhaps catch cancer in its early stages, therefore making treatment more effective.

The inventors of this bra say it will take at least two more years to create a prototype and breast cancer doctors and medical professionals are calling for intense clinical testing before it is marketed to the general public. But it is hoped that this could be a ground-breaking development in healthcare.